The annual market for air freshener products in the U.S. is nearly $3 billion. Plug-in type air freshener products account for a third of that market. Over the past decade, battery-operated, metered aerosol fragrance dispensers have become popular in commercial settings such as public and office restrooms. As these devices are typically somewhat complex, in that they incorporate a DC electric motor, a gear drive operated by the motor which actuates the spray valve, an aerosol fragrance canister, and a programmable timer for adjusting the time interval between sprays, average retail prices of around $50 were too costly to generate widespread demand for home use. However, prices have dropped dramatically. For example, Wal-Mart now sells a programmable Air Wick® dispenser with one aerosol fragrance canister for less than $10. As the cost of a replacement fragrance canister is nearly $4, it appears that American Home Products Corporation may be selling the Air Wick® fragrance dispenser at less than cost, a marketing strategy learned from Gillette's sale of razor blades and Hewlett-Packard's sale of ink cartridges.
One problem associated with the use of fragrance dispensers is that it is difficult to disseminate fragrance throughout an entire home, as air circulation within the home is typically inadequate. In order for fragrance dispersion to be truly effective, a fragrance dispenser would be required in nearly every room of the home. Although many home owners would prefer to have a pleasing fragrance dispersed throughout their homes, the fragrance dispensers, though not necessarily unsightly, can hardly be mistaken for home decor. Although automobiles provide a much more confined environment than do houses, the use of a fragrance dispenser within an automobile suffers from the same problems: dispensers are generally unsightly and fail to disperse the fragrance evenly throughout the interior.
What is needed is an apparatus for dispensing fragrances throughout a home or other structure, such as an automobile interior, that provides generally uniform dispersion of fragrances throughout the entire interior space, while being generally hidden from view.